COURSE NOTES: Social

Based on the course PSY/SOC 301, taught at The Sage Colleges by Prof. Susan Cloninger. This class uses the following textbook, which provides the chapter organization that you see on the menu on the left side of this page: Myers, D. (2005). Social Psychology (8th ed.)New York: McGraw Hill.

Chapter 7:

Persuasion

example of Nazi anti-Semitic propaganda

example of Iraq war

THE PATHS TO PERSUASION

Central route

thinking

systematic arguments

leads to more enduring change (Myers, 2005, p. 249)

Peripheral route

cues for acceptance

little thinking

Central Route effective when:

people find message personally relevant and involviing

people are high in the need for cognition

people are in a neutral or mildly negative mood

communicator speaks at normal speed

Peripheral Route effective when:

people find message irrelevant and noninvolving

people are low in need for cognition

people are in a positive mood

communicator speaks rapidly

central or peripheral? [graphic presented in lecture]

THE ELEMENTS OF PERSUASION

who says? the communicator

what is said? the message

how is it said? the channel of communication

to whom? the audience

WHO SAYS? THE COMMUNICATOR

Credibility (believability)

sleeper effect (forgotten source)

Expertise (an aspect of credibility)

knowledgeable

speaks confidently

Trustworthiness (an aspect of credibility)

eye contact

rapid speech

intent

speaking against own self-interest

Rapid speech makes people more persuasive.

They are perceived as more expert.

They are perceived as more trustworthy.

The audience has less chance to counter-argue.

Attractiveness and liking

physical appeal

similarity (especially for issues of subjective preference, not objective reality)